Mr. Smith can't go to Washington

Where has Mr. Smith gone? Unfortunately, the 14th Congressional District primary on Feb. 5 showed us that money trumps all in politics and Mr. Smith is moving out of elections, against his will.

The 14th District primary was, not surprisingly, won by the candidates with the highest campaign funds. Mr. Smith attempted to run in both the Republican and Democratic races, but did not win. Instead, Jim Oberweis and Bill Foster, who raised $2 million and $1.4 million dollars respectively (Center for Responsive Politics, www.opensecrets.org), each won.

The Mr. Smiths of the presidential race do not fit in the picture; they are easily bumped out by the flashy Web sites, massive mailings, large rallies, and repetitive commercials of the big money candidates. Grass-roots campaigning can only go so far today. Campaign finance drives tend to focus on retaining the endorsements of wealthy donors, and large special interest groups (including union and corporate donors). Those who donate large sums of money, in turn, have their interests represented. The electoral process becomes a monetary cycle, in effect bumping out non-donors. Candidates are forced to purchase votes. That is not democracy.

Admittedly, money is important to campaigning; but when money is used to push candidates out of the race, the electoral process is massively corrupted. The democratic process requires a fair "marketplace of ideas." There should not be an admission price to the "marketplace." The cost of elections closes the doors to under-funded, and likely more qualified candidates, in effect suppressing the entire campaign.

The question is: Will Mr. Smith win again? It's unlikely.

Phillip A. Garee

Naperville